Cursed Academy (Year Three)

by Holly Hook

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  END

  Cursed Academy

  Year Three

  Book Four of the Cursed Academy Series

  By Holly Hook

  Chapter One

  “Ronin?”

  I grasped at the emptiness beside me as a shiver swept over my skin. But despite snuggling in beside me last night, only deflated, rumpled sheets take Ronin's place. Ronin should be awake, lifting an eyebrow at me. Wakey wakey, he always said.

  Just morning sunlight and silence stretched out. The Fortress, what Ronin nicknamed this particular mansion of Zeus's, was full of heavy silence. I didn't even hear the familiar, muffled sounds of the gaming room, where Ronin often retreated this summer.

  My thoughts turned to his tossing and turning for the past few nights, as if something were tormenting him. And now he'd vanished.

  I turned over, dread curling in my gut. The blue curtains were mostly shut on the miles upon miles of woods outside the walls of the mansion. Ronin told me the Fortress, which was a full four hours away from Cursed Academy and therefore Prometheus, was off the grid and only some of the immortals knew it existed. Nobody would find us. If anyone could get away with building a secret vacation home, it was Zeus.

  So this empty half of the bed meant one of two things.

  One. Zeus had found out we were using his secret vacation house in the woods, and he'd come to teach his son a lesson in humility.

  Or two. Ronin suspected someone else would find us soon.

  Those thoughts propelled me out of bed and into a random pair of jeans I'd brought to the Fortress. While Ronin and I had been too tired to do anything last night–we'd stayed up super late playing some racing game I'd already forgotten the name of–I was still in my underwear. Facing down enemies in that would not work unless it was, say, a chipmunk.

  A low groan filled my head, impatient and ready to go.

  “Crap.” The asphodel. I still had to take my daily dose. Whenever I forgot, my power woke and it threatened a hurricane. I was getting closer to maturing all the time, and the Underworld herb was just a band-aid. Eventually, it would fall off and everything would bleed. I'd become something dark. And if Ronin's disappearance meant a fight was about to happen, I needed a lid on this.

  I bolted into the attached bathroom and pulled out my vial of asphodel. As I did, the low groan of Chaos intensified, as if warning me to stop suppressing it already, but what choice did I have? If Ronin wasn't in trouble, I didn't need my inner darkness going crazy on him. The crushed white blossoms still filled half the vial, and I tapped out a few tiny pieces and swallowed them whole.

  The brief, deathly chill swept through my body. I grit my teeth, waiting for it to pass, and it did, leaving weakness in my limbs and a tremor in my ankles. The darkness and the low groan vanished. I put the cork back in and gripped the counter. Come on. Hurry, I thought.

  The wave of weakness passed, leaving me feeling the closest to normal I'd probably ever get to again. I left the bedroom and commenced Take Two of figuring out what was going on. But Ronin wasn't waiting for me in the upstairs hallway, or peeking his head out of the gaming room across the hall, or even cooking me an awesome breakfast. (Yes, Ronin had taught himself how to cook over the past few years, and he was good.)

  I descended the polished spiral steps, which seemed designed to make people slip. Well, nobody would dare sue Zeus. Why should he care? I grasped the railing. The 24-hour dose of asphodel turned me into a klutz all over again, undoing all the progress I'd made in Combat Training.

  Ronin wasn't in the vast living room, which sported leather furniture and exotic rugs from all over the world. Nor was he in the kitchen or in the basement. My heart raced faster and faster. He wouldn't just up and leave.

  But his muttering in the middle of the night might tell a different story. Especially since it just started after an amazing two months here.

  “Ronin?” My voice echoed off the water heater on the other side of the huge basement. The ping-pong tables, never used, continued to gather dust. Without Ronin, I realized how lonely this place was. How empty. Zeus himself had probably never used this place. Even though this wasn't the mansion Ronin normally spent time in over break, I imagined the one he typically stayed in was just as lifeless.

  That left outside, then. I gathered my thoughts, took a deep breath, and headed out.

  Whenever I stepped out of the Fortress, I felt tiny. Zeus had built this secret home in the middle of the Appalachains, and the hills of the surrounding forest spread out with no sign of civilization anywhere. The whole world was a rolling, uneven carpet of green, and the air was so fresh that I hadn't sneezed since arriving. This was the sort of place where if you dropped dead, no one would find you. Ever.

  The driveway of the Fortress, just a gravel drive, still held the Mercedes from school Ronin had stolen at the end of the year. He wasn't there, either, and since the car remained, he must not have gone far.

  Or someone had taken him.

  No. Impossible. We didn't even have phone reception out here. No Internet. The whole place ran on solar panels. I searched the trees. The overgrown lawn. No Ronin.

  I wished I had the ability to sense magic in others like Ronin did. But my menu just included destroying things with voids or stealing the magic of others. Maybe I shouldn't have taken that herb. Stupid. Now I'd be worthless in a fight. But if someone had managed to take my boyfriend—

  “Ronin!”

  Shouting was dumb, too.

  I broke into a run down the drive, because I wasn't sure where else to go. The drive plunged into the trees. Would I have to run the three or four miles to the road? Ronin had the car keys. After my sides threatened to split, I stopped and remembered.

  The hiking trails.

  Maybe Ronin wanted a morning walk and I was being stupid.

  But without telling me?

  Well, if he was having one of moments, I could see that happening.

  One of the trails crossed the long gravel drive. Well, it was pointless to run to the road, which was a good two miles away, so I eyed the sun. I'd left my phone back in my room. Dumb Move Number Three. I might have to lower my dose of the herb.

  Ronin and I had walked all the gravel trails through the woods, and Ronin had showed me a map of them he found in the Fortress. Together, the trails created the shape of an eagle, one of Zeus's symbols, with the Fortress in the center. The trails didn't go more than a mile away from the house, but you had to hike. I walked, taking sharp curve after sharp curve, mapping out in my mind where Ronin might have gone. He wasn't a jogger. More like a weightlifter, even though he didn't have to work out thanks to his divine blood.

  And as I circled around the Fortress, eyeing the huge brick shape through the trees, I remembered.

  The Eagle's Eye.

  On the map, a large pond made up the Eagle's Eye, and Ronin and I had walked past it a few times. While it wasn't as scary as some of the black ponds near Cursed Academy, it reminded me of the spot where Ronin and I talked up close for the first time. I turned, walking back up what I thought was the
middle of the right wing until the trail curved around a giant tree that creaked in the wind.

  “Ronin.”

  I let out a very big sigh of relief. He sat on a large boulder, staring into the water with his back to me. His tight white shirt hugged his perfect body. But the way he gripped the rock with both hands told me he wasn't in a good place.

  “Okay, Giselle. You got me. I should have told you I was going for a walk.” Ronin continued to gaze on the water.

  I wasn't sure how to feel. From here, I could see that Ronin wasn't working his jaw. No anger, then. But he was in one of his moods, a mood I hadn't seen since we escaped school. He was depressed again.

  “What's wrong?” I approached the rock, and as I did, he scooted over to let me sit.

  “Just remembering shit. I was fine until a few days ago. Then I started thinking. Couldn't stop.”

  I took Ronin's hand, and electricity shot up my arm. I was used to it by now, especially after the nights we'd spent together. “I'm sorry. Sometimes I remember things, too.”

  Ronin shot me a faint grin. “Just swear, already.” His golden-flecked eyes were dull. That was more than us staying up late, too.

  “So I still see the sense of humor.” At least a bit of Ronin was still here. “You haven't felt like this for months. Spill.”

  “I'm a guy. A macho guy. No way.”

  I face-palmed. As the female I had the job of figuring this out and making Ronin talk. Ugh. “I know we're all isolated out here, and you're worried something will happen while I'm taking this herb—”

  Ronin stopped me with a stare. He crossed his legs as his reflection on the water did the same. “That's exactly it. My mother and I used to live isolated, too. Different mansion. But it was a place a lot like this. Zeus didn't want us public. My mother had to quit her modeling job to stay out of the spotlight. It was just me and her, plus a couple employees who lived with us. Zeus said we'd stay safe from those who hated us. But spoiler alert. It didn't work.”

  “You're comparing me to your mom?” I blurted.

  Good job, Giselle.

  “That's not an insult.” He stared at the water, lost again. “And I don't mean that in a gross way.”

  It was something I'd blurt out if I had parents. “Look, the Lower Order has no clue we're out here,” I said, releasing Ronin's hand and wrapping my arm around him instead. I rested my head on his shoulder, curling my fingers into his perfect, perfect abs. But as soon as I got used to the rhythm of his breathing and matched it with mine, he tensed.

  “They still found my mother and I.”

  “Ronin, why did you hide this for the whole summer?” Now I tensed and let go of him, squaring off the best I could on that rock. “If you're suffering, I want to know.”

  He leaned back like watching Lower Order monsters destroy his mother hadn't fazed him. Total lie. Ronin's eyes shone. Did he have PTSD? I knew it was a horrible disorder to have.

  “A son of Zeus only alleviates his suffering by atoning.”

  “What?”

  “I couldn't protect her. I tried. Hercules couldn't protect his wife and children. He was worse than me and went crazy, killing them. Maybe someone cursed him to do it. I don't know. The ancient Greeks could have had a Lower Order of their own for all I know.”

  “And he did the Twelve Trials to atone for it,” I filled in. “Ronin. You are not Hercules and you didn't kill your mom. I mean, maybe you drove her nuts when you were a kid, but you don't need to do any trials because you didn't kill her.” I stood on the rock, motioning for him to stand.

  “I might as well have.” He rose, trembling, every muscle tense. Like me, he had a monster inside, waiting for release. But his was pain. “When someone knocked on the door, I...I opened it. Thought it was a delivery. And then—” Ronin raked his hand through his hair, facing the trees.

  “You were a kid.” I didn't dare approach because for the first time, I wasn't sure what Ronin would do. “I know Zeus expected you to be an adult since the literal day you were born, but sheesh.” Rage gathered in the back of my neck and my shoulders. I wanted to grab something and throw it into the pond, I felt so helpless.

  “Giselle, I'm sorry. I shouldn't get this way with you.” Ronin sighed and jumped off the rock with a soft thud. “I thought I was finally doing better, but something's doing a number on me. Now I'm getting nightmares.”

  “You? Nightmares?” I had to lighten the situation. “I thought yours would be about, well, losing your biceps or getting caught in front of your classmates in a tutu.”

  Ronin bit his lip, but he didn't laugh. “That would be pretty scary. Come on. Let's take a walk around the trails and go back to the mansion. Blow off some steam.”

  Ronin took my hand.

  And a second later, the ground shook and a roar filled the air.

  Chapter Two

  Ronin crushed my hand an I let out an old-fashioned, art girl squeak. Then he uttered a creative curse.

  “Was that—” I started.

  “Something blew up at the house. Giselle, please, for the love of the gods, say you just left something frying on the stove, which caused the house to catch fire and blow up the propane tank.”

  My mind went to that until I remembered that I hadn't. But before I could say anything, Ronin let go and reached for his belt. His sword hung there, but my Chaos Dagger was missing. He'd left it in the house.

  That was bad.

  Very bad.

  Someone had found us.

  “Stay here,” Ronin started, sword in hand, before he slapped himself. “Never mind. Stay close.” He ran, veered off, and bolted through the trees.

  I followed. Pine branches and underbrush slapped me from every angle. I felt like a brat getting whipped by the forest. And now I noticed another effect of the asphodel.

  I couldn't run as fast as I had before.

  I seized Ronin's arm, feeling for his electricity. Nervous and fast, it thrummed under his skin while his sword gleamed with white electricity, fizzling with power. He snapped his gaze to me, barely missing a tree trunk. Well, are you going to amplify my magic?

  I shook my head, straining my neck. Another bunch of leaves hit me in the face. My sides burned as I gasped for breath. I couldn't. When I breathed in, just air entered my lungs. The asphodel didn't pick and choose. It weakened all of my powers.

  “Shit,” Ronin shouted, sweat breaking out over his temples. “Let go, then. Now!” He shook me off and I grabbed onto a tree.

  And just the thought made the low groan rise inside, weak and struggling, for a second. Ronin ran ahead, bursting across another gravel trail while I hugged a mossy trunk. Smoke rose from the Fortress. Clouds of it curled over my head, creeping through the treetops.

  What was he doing?

  His hero complex was strong today. We were having a talk after this.

  “Ronin!” He must have reached the Fortress yard by now.

  I burst from the trees as Ronin approached the house.

  The front door was open, swinging on one hinge. Scorch marks made twisted monster faces on the wood.

  And smoke, some of which held orange, vile magic in its depths, mushroomed out of the opening.

  Vomit rose into my throat.

  The Lower Order had arrived.

  And Ronin, as if in a trance, ran straight towards the door, a one man army against however many terrorists had broken in.

  I blinked, sure Ronin's nightmare had found a way to bleed into the real world. The Lower Order couldn't be here. Only us and some of the immortals knew about the Fortress. The only way they could have tracked us down was if—

  “Ronin!” I screamed his name with enough force to burn my lungs.

  He skid to a stop and stared at the door, now just fifteen feet away from him. I ran to him, determined to pull him back into the woods. A dazed look filled his eyes as our gazes met. He blinked, came to his senses, and ran back to me, pupils dilating in horror.

  “What are you doing? We can't go in
there,” I said, grasping the front of his shirt. “They're in there. The Lower Order. Ronin, are you with me?”

  He eyed the door. Why was no one coming out after us? Just more smoke billowed out. I searched his eyes for any sign of possession, but there was none.

  “What did I just do?” he asked.

  I pulled on him. “Come on. The car. Do you have the keys?”

  “They're in the house.”

  It was my turn to curse.

  Twice.

  All around us, underbrush whispered. My heart leapt into my throat as the smoke near the door cleared. A dozen figures in black robes, most of whom had hoods pulled down over the top halves of their faces, emerged from the trees in a large ring and I understood.

  The explosion was a distraction to bring us here.

  Ronin grasped me from the side, pulling me to him, and sweat made his shirt cling to his flesh. More nervous electricity raced under her skin and made the air crackle. His heart hammered under my ear. Through my shirt. He dug his fingers into my ribs in the desperate hope that I could take his energy and lend it back to him threefold.

  "I can't," I hissed, knees buckling.

  “Door,” Ronin hissed.

  Huh? Slowly, he turned us around so we were facing the drive that cut through the woods. I counted seven...eight...twelve of the figures, waiting in silence. They had all stopped, robes flowing in the wind. Which one was Dominique? She was more effective than the asphodel at blocking powers.

  There.

  “Giselle. Step away from the pig,” Dominique ordered, stepping forward. She stood in the center of my view, right in front of the drive and our Mercedes. She lifted her face to me. Her hooked nose pointed at me and her golden-flecked eyes, which I could see even from twenty feet away, sparkled under her hood. Grayish black hair hung over the round wheel tattoos on her cheeks.

  Pressure settled on my chest. Ronin seethed. She was blocking his powers, too. And now we had no one to distract her. He backed us closer to the door. I didn't know what he had planned. But once in the house, they'd have us trapped. The Lower Order might even try to burn it.